| Accidents, Safety, Security and Training |
U.S. District Court Judge Florence-Marie Cooper disagreed with the NTSB’s probable cause of a midair between two helicopters on Nov. 6, 2003, at Zamperini Field in Torrance, Calif., and ruled that “Defendant United States, acting by and through the conduct of its ATC, their supervisors and the FAA, caused serious injuries to Gavin Heyworth and caused the...
more“Safety management systems aren’t just the latest fad for corporate flight departments,” Daedalus Aviation Services president David Bjellos told the nearly 450 attendees yesterday at the 53rd Corporate Aviation Safety Seminar (CASS), held this year in Palm Harbor, Fla. In fact, SMSs could be a requirement for entry into some foreign countries starting in...
moreMyriad issues complicate traveling outside the U.S.
moreThe FAA has criticized the airlines for failing to equip their aircraft with the latest on-board weather technology, thereby limiting the amount of relevant data pilots receive. The agency commended general aviation, however, for embracing new technologies that will be an integral part of the NextGen air transportation system.“It is essential that flight...
moreGeneral aviation fatalities dropped 30 percent last year, to 491 from 703 in 2006, according to the NTSB. But the total number of general aviation accidents was higher, climbing to 1,631 in 2007 from 1,518 in 2006. The total number of accidents includes 20 U.S.-registered aircraft mishaps that occurred outside the U.S., its territories or possessions. The...
moreThe time for operators to prepare for an accident investigation is before it happens
moreThe president of a helicopter supply company whose actions were determined by the NTSB to be a contributing factor in the January 2006 crash of a Eurocopter AS 350D has claimed that the Safety Board left out pertinent information in the probable cause report. Furthermore, the NTSB acknowledges that it never investigated the complete ownership history of the...
moreEurocopter’s “fleet safety directorate,” officially formed last July, continues to study human factors in helicopter operations, with the statistical backdrop that pilot errors cause an estimated 75 percent of helicopter accidents, and maintenance errors account for another 10 percent. The Franco- German-Spanish company is thus looking for the roots of the...
moreThe last few months have been difficult for a number of aviation players. First, there were several whistleblower complaints from FAA aviation safety inspectors who risked their futures to make serious allegations against their management in the southwest region. These allegations had been under investigation for some time when the U.S. Congress decided to...
moreThe FAA and aviation industry have formed a Runway Safety Council to examine root causes of runway incursions and make recommendations about runway safety. The group includes 12 to 15 industry representatives and held its first meeting in late March. Recommendations that are accepted will be assigned to either the FAA or industry, depending on which is...
moreBombardier Challenger 600-2A12, Grand Junction, Colo., March 24, 2008–The main cabin door fell off the Challenger on takeoff from Grand Junction Regional Airport. The crew squawked 7700, entered a downwind for Runway 29 and landed safely. There were no injuries. The jet is registered to WFP Investments of Snowmass Village, Colo.
moreCessna 500 Citation I, Farnborough, Kent, England, March 30, 2008–The crew of the Bahamian-registered Citation I reported engine vibration soon after takeoff from Biggin Hill and called “Mayday” before being cleared to return to land. The jet hit a residence about three miles from the airport. All five people on board were killed, including the pilot,...
moreHawker Beechcraft 1900D, Nbagu, Nigeria, March 15, 2008–All three occupants were killed and the aircraft destroyed when the Wings Aviation 1900 crashed in Nbagu village. The ferry flight was en route from Lagos to Obudu.
moreCessna 500 Citation I, Oklahoma City, March 4–The Southwest Orthopedic and Sport Medicine Clinic’s Citation I was destroyed when control was lost soon after takeoff from Wiley Post Airport. The ATP-rated pilot, commercial copilot and three passengers were killed. One witness, a former Air Force crew chief, said he heard a sound that resembled an “engine...
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